Davidson College Partners With Youth Poet Laureate Program

Now the college is extending its reach in the literary arts by partnering with the North Carolina Poet Laureate to support the next generation of talented poets. 

 North Carolina’s first Youth Poet Laureate and two runners-up were recently named at a national conference. Davidson is working with Jaki Shelton Green, the state’s Poet Laureate, to coordinate programming and speaking engagements for the young poets.

Davidson will host its first on-campus youth poet laureate event in fall of 2026. It will give current students the chance to meet and hear the poets’ readings, and the visitors a close look at Davidson’s literary offerings.

Jack Jung, a poet and assistant professor of English at Davidson, is leading the college’s efforts. 

 “When a teenager finds the line that cracks a poem open, the world gives a little, too,” Jung said. “By bringing the Youth Poet Laureates to Davidson, we’re betting on that small seismic shift: on young writers whose voices can help shape the liberal arts education and nourish the culture of our community. 

“I can’t wait to hand them the mic, clear a space on the campus, and watch their words change the air we breathe.”

Rishi Janakiraman, from Raleigh, was named as North Carolina’s inaugural Youth Poet Laureate for 2025-2026. Vanessa Hunter, Charlotte’s first Youth Poet Laureate, and Kenna Zhang, of Cary, were runners up.

The announcements came during the National Youth Poet Laureate Commencement in May, which was held at Hunter College in New York. 

There are about 100 youth poet laureate programs in the United States. Support from the Academy of American Poets, Library of Congress and the U.S. State Department has helped create and expand youth poet laureate programs in India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Green, North Carolina’s ninth poet laureate, initiated a plan to create high school poet laureate programs in every high school in the state, and has been visiting and conducting intensive poetry workshops. 

In a separate venture, she collaborated with Davidson and the National Youth Poet Laureate program, which administers the state Youth Poet Laureate initiative.

“I have witnessed the tremendously impactive role of the literary arts in the lives of high school youth,” Green said. “They are inspired by these programs that engage them to tell their stories and play an active role in their broader communities.”

She said student writers, high school poet laureates and the Youth Poet Laureate of North Carolina are creating opportunities for students to use their voices through creative writing, author residencies, readings and spoken word performances.

“They are actively exploring goals for arts learning and helping other students share their expertise and personal experiences by using writing as a form of creative self-expression,” she said. “In addition, they’re coordinating memorable celebrations of their unique voices that are uplifting, nonjudgemental and accessible.”